、 object was, to compel them to appear in court in fuch cafes, as well as to give fecurity for their appearance. The former act obliged them to the fecurity, but gave no means of compelling their appearance. Leave was given. The Attorney General, pursuant to notice, moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the act of laft feffion, for facilitating the arreft of offenders efcaping from one part of the united kingdom to another, or from one county to another. He had deferred this motion hitherto, left it might appear, if he had brought it forward earlier, to be a prejudging of a cafe pending in the courts of the fifter kingdom. That cafe had been decided, and therefore he felt himself at liberty to bring forward his meafure. The object he had in view, was fimply to enable a magiftrate in Ireland who might execute a warrant iffued by a magiftrate in England, to give the fame bail as if the warrant had been iffued in that country, and vice verfa. The charge that he had framed the measure of laft feffion with a view to bring Mr. Juftice Johnfon a prifoner to attend his trial in this country, would fall before the Statement of a fact. The bill had been prepared by order of the fecretary of ftate the preceding feffion, though, from the advanced ftage of the feffion, it had been deferred till laft feffion, and he had obtained leave to bring in the bill fome days previous to the conviction of Mr. Cobbett; and it was not till fome days after, when the original manufcripts had been given up by Mr. Cobbett, that Mr. Juftice Johnfon could be confidered as the object of a profecution-Leave was given to bring in the bill. Mr. Fofter obtained leave to bring in a bill to continue the act for appointing commiffioners of inquiry into fees, gratuitics, perquifites, and emoluments in offices in Ireland. Col. Stanley moved the third reading of the bill for providing a falary for the chairman of the feffion at Manchester. Mr. Shaw Lefevre moved an amendment, that the bill be read a third time that day three months. A converfation enfued, after which a divifion took place. For the third reading, For the amendment, Majority, 115 23 92 The bill was then read a third time and passed. The Chancellor of the Eexchequer moved, that the meffage of the lords of Friday laft be now taken into confideration. The motion was agreed to, as alfo a motion of the Chancel lor lor of the Exchequer, that, pursuant to the ufual form of proceeding in fuch cafes, a committee be appointed to draw up an answer to their lordships' meffage, and that the select committee to which the papers relating to the repairs of the Romney and Senfible were referred be that committee. Colonel Stanley brought up a copy of the evidence, relating to the Houfe of Keys, in the Ifle of Man, taken before the committee, and the petition of John Duke of Athol. A Mr. Curwen moved that the papers be printed. difcuffion enfued, which terminated in the papers being ordered to be printed, and the poftponement, on the motion of Lord Glenbervie, of the further confideration of the report of the Isle of Man, from Thursday next to Wednesday fe'nnight. Mr. Alexander brought up the report of the committee appointed to examine which twenty-one names had the majority on the ballot for a felect committee, to investigate the eleventh report of the commiffioners of naval inquiry. The following are the gentlemen chofen. Lord Glenbervie C. W. Wynne, Efq. C. M. Ormfby, Efq. P. Patten, Efq. J. Kingston, Efq. Sir Robert Vaughan, Bart. H. Jodrell, Efq. Lord Binning. On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the committee were ordered to meet the next day, and were invefted with the ufual powers. After a fhort converfation between Sir W. Elford, the Speaker, and Mr. Calcraft, Sir W. Elford gave notice, that he would the next day move that the correfpondence between Lord Buckinghamshire, the Earl St. Vincent, and Sir A. S. Hamond, be referred to the above committee. On the motion of the Attorney General the houfe went into the further confideration of the report on the ftipendiary curates' bill, on the various amendments of which, and on feveral claufes introduced by the Attorney General, a converfation enfued between Lord Porchefter, Mr. Burton, Mr. I. H. Browne, Sir W. Scott, Lord Glenbervie, the Attorney General, General, Mr. Fuller, Mr. Fellowes, Mr. Barham, Mr. W◄ Dickinson, and Mr. D. Giddy.-Lord Porchefter declared his intention of taking the fenfe of the house on the third reading, which was fixed for Thursday. The house then went into a committee on the adowson bill. Mr. Fellowes wifhed fome limitation in the purchase of advowfons, as otherwife there would foon be but few grave men left in the universities to keep the young ones in order. The Chancellor of the Exchequer thought there was more ground to apprehend that the funds of the colleges would be too fmall to enable them to purchase the neceffary advowfons. Mr. Burton coincided in the latter opinion, obferving, that the funds of feveral old colleges, aided by legacies, had not been fufficient to allow of advowfons being purchased for half the fellows. The bill was then ordered to be read a third time on Friday. Mr. Rofe brought in a bill for the better regulation of the Weft-India exports and imports, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day. The house, in a committee of fupply, came to feveral refolutions. for making provifion for the pay and clothing of the militia of Great Britain and Ireland. The report wasordered to be received the next day. The Dublin paving bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed on Thursday. The reports of the committees on the ftamp duty regulation bill, on the malt duty regulation bill, and on the bill for the regulation of the office of the paymafter general, were brought up, agreed to, and the bills ordered to be read a third time on Thurfday. The Irish excife licence. bill. went through a committee, and the report was ordered to be received the next day. After fome verbal amendments the Irifh election bill was read a third time and paffed. The post-horfe farming duty bill was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed the next day. The other orders of the day were then difpofed of, and the house adjourned. HOUSE HOUSE OF LORDS. TUESDAY, MAY 28. A message was brought from the commons, requesting the attendance of Earl St. Vincent, Lord Viscount Sidmouth, and Lord Harrowby, before the select committee of that house, appointed to take into consideration the eleventh report of the naval commissioners. The messengers were informed that their lordships would return an answer by a messenger of their own. The bills on the table were each advanced a stage. Ear! Suffolk again reverted to his motion respecting the amount of suins of money drawn from the West Indies on the treasury. It was objected to the motion when he first brought it forward, that it embraced too extensive a period of time, and a too great variety of papers, which it would be em barrassing and difficult to prepare; while the production of them was not likely to answer any essential purpose. He should now, as far as lay in his power, obviate these objections by confessing his readiness to limit the period till the 1st of January 1804, and the sums drawn for to one thousand pounds and upwards. Lord Hawkesbury said that, in objecting to the motion as formerly made by the noble earl, it was by no means his wish to deprive the house of the information called for, were it practicable to obtain it, or were it likely that, when obtained, it could answer any useful purpose, while it was certain it must create much embarrassment and inconvenience in the public offices where the accounts were to be prepared. He had not himself the superintendance of these offices, but upon inquiry he had learned, that the motion as it first stood would be productive of much inconvenience; and he conceived that inconvenience would be still further increased, were the motion to be acceded to in its present shape. The business was already in a train of preparation, in compliance with the noble lord's first motion; and it would occasion much less embarrassment, if the first motion of the noble earl were adhered. to, than if he pressed his motion in its new form. Earl Suffolk disclaimed any intention or disposition of crea ting unnecessary trouble to any department of government. He had sat in parliament nearly twenty-five years, and this was only the second time he had moved for any papers. His first motion was made about three years ago, the object of which was to lay before the house an account of the produce VOL. III. 1805. N of of the sale of old naval stores in Great Britain. The motion was then acceded to, but the accounts had never yet been produced. He should repeat that motion this night, but he should first advert to the motives upon which he grounded the propriety and necessity of the motion he had before alluded to. It appeared to him (indeed he had it from the best authority) that much abuse existed in the manner in which bills from the West Indies on the treasury were paid. In proof of the existence of that abuse, he could cite the authority of the principal West India merchants in this country, or even bring them to the bar of the house, should such be their lordships' pleasure, to corroborate and substantiate his assertions respecting the abuse he alluded to. He would now content himself with adducing one instance from a great number of others, in which a West India merchant held bills of that kind on the treasury; they were drawn at sixty-one days, and when they became due, he presented them for payment. Instead of receiving the cash as he expected, accommodation bills were offered at sixty-one days further, bearing an interest of 5 per cent. This was understood to be the usual practice, but the merchant whom he had in his eye, pleaded the necessity he was under of paying very heavy bills that pressed upon him, and that he could not keep up his credit, unless his just demand on the treasury was punctually paid. The 5 per cent. interest could be of little inoment to him under such circumstances, he mast therefore persist in peremptorily insisting on immediate payinent, otherwise he should be under the necessity of protesting the bills. The treasury at first demurred; but seeing the firmness of the merchant's resolution, they gave him an order for the money. It was unnecessary to comment upon such an abuse. The individual suffered the inconvenience of the first instance; and the public were next saddled with the additional burthen of the 5 per cent. interest for the additional sixty-one days. The Marquis of Sligo observed, that the bills in question were usually drawn at ninety-one days, and not at sixty-one. After a few observations from Lord Hawkesbury, the noble earl withdrew his second motion, and permitted the first to remain as it originally stood. Earl Suffolk then moved for the account of the produce of the sale of old naval stores; but limited the period from the 1st December 1802, till the 1st December 1804. It was agreed to. A conversation |